The Hausfrau – Now and Then – April 26, 2007

As noted by Martin. Not that I have been exposed to too much Hausfrauness these last weeks, even though as I write this Carl is vacuuming the living room. But even so, there have been small glimpses of the Old and New Hausfrau. The most extreme of the Old was just a few days ago when, taking a bite from my breakfast Brötchen I looked up, out the window toward the neighboring house and there she was, doing windows. The house is about the same vintage as the one we’re staying in, except it has been updated more recently. The Hausfrau next door then was standing in her second floor glass enclosed patio protruding out from the red tiled roof, doing the inside and the outside of the roughly 4’ square glass panes. She employed at least four different types of cleaning tools ranging from handbrush to rag to chamois cloth to white dish towel. We carefully opened our sheers. What we saw was a true Meister effort. Side to side wiping. Up and down scrubbing. Intense circlular rubbing. Occasional focused scratching with a finger nail. Generally not a bad thing to do. After watching her doing this one window pane for about 17 minutes (a very relaxing thing to do, by the way), it was my turn to take a shower. Afterwards, I had to take another quick look to check on her progress. Still working on it. When I looked again after my shave, she had moved on to the next window pane.

The New. And this seems to be a very womanly thing to do, I’ve never seen a live male hold these ski-pole like sticks (just in touristy pictures): Nordic Walking. People have two poles, one in each hand, and then embark on a brisk walk, using the poles/sticks as if cross-country skiing. Everyone does it; I see them on my morning run; Lisa and I see them on our evening walk, mostly in pairs or small groups of Hausfrau women, ranging in age from 30 or so to 70+. It’s also a social event. Not sure if it qualifies as a silent sport; one can usually hear them approaching. Last week a special Nordic Walking park was dedicated in the region, special trails just for Nordic Walking, not to be shared with dogs, bikes or non-Nordic Walkers. With each Nordic Walking even 90% of the body’s muscles get used, I read.

Die Schwäbische Alb – April 25, 2007

After Andrew finished school today we went up on the Alb. Here in Southern Germany the Alps have their start. The foothills are known as the Alb. We started out with a visit to the Nebelhöhle – a large cave with lots of great rock formations. It was cool and dark and wet with lots of big chambers full of stalactites and stalagmites. Close to the Nebelhöhle is a castle called Schloss Lichtenstein, where we had a spectacular view of the entire area. This castle has been built near an even older ruin. The castle itself juts up from sheer rock walls – very impressive. We had Kaffee und Kuchen (and ice cream) near the castle. Then headed home, stopping on the way in Offenhausen, the small village where Martin was born. It was another great day.

Sickenhausen – April 24, 2007

Greetings and observations from Martin:
Today is a bit of a lazy day for all but Andrew, who has a long day of school, ‘til 3:45 PM, eating lunch again at Phillip’s. Carl is working on some school work for Schoolcraft; Martin doing some reading for his sabbatical work, Lisa doing laundry, Christian doing dishes after breakfast.
So, with nothing else much to report, here are a couple of musings from Martin, experienced over the past two weeks, both excerpts from an email to immediate family last week:

First. With the boys in school this week, Lisa walks to the baker every morning to get fresh hard rolls and Bretzeln and I have resumed my spring/summer-time ‘run’ in the mornings, returning to a beautifully set breakfast table and fresh coffee (nice and strong), after walking/jogging/stumbling along the paths between fields of young wheat and canola flowers. The other day I read an article (titled ‘Hundeklos an Gassibahn’ – sorry, not translatable…) in the Reutlinger daily paper that highlighted how in a nearby village they have now installed eight Hundehäufchenbeutelziehstationen (dogpoopbagdisposalstations) to counter complaints about dog droppings along this certain trail that has developed into something like dog walking Autobahn. The project, endorsed by the mayor who is also a dog owner; cost 5000 Euro - about $6500. Along with dispensing the bags, there also is a place where you can deposit the filled bags, which will be emptied by the city’s road and trail department when they make the rounds sweeping the streets and trails every Friday. So, communities are addressing real issues with their proceeds from the pet taxes they collect. Anyway, I now have a set of walking/running acquaintances, both two-legged and four-legged, that I meet every morning on my outings; we exchange friendly Swabian greetings (Grüß Gott or Guata Morga) and keep going on our merry ways. One of them I swear is Yoko Ono, hat, sunglasses and all.

Second. Yesterday, I tried to exchange some cash I had brought along (just to be sure, not knowing 100% if our Visa cash card from First National Bank in Bemidji would work - it does!) only to find out that banks aren’t accepting $100 bills… I guess there a various counterfeit ones around and they can’t tell the difference between the real ones and the fake ones. We’ll keep trying to find a nice, reasonable and flexible teller – the ones I tried to deal with so far just pretty much told me it’s my problem, arguing with me how some things are just different in some countries… Epilog, written today, the 24th of April. Search and you will find. After getting a parking ticket last week, I went to the bank where the city has its account (as noted on the ticket). Hoping to both get rid of my $100 bills and pay the ticket in the same place, I went to bank’s headquarters. To exchange the money, signs directed me to the counter labeled ‘currency exchange, travelers checks and precious metals’ where I was told it would take at least 15 minutes to examine my $100 bills. In addition to the careful visual inspection of the character standing in front of him, the bank teller initiated a two-step process which involved a magnifying glass and a little glass covered box with a strong light under it. One by one the bills passed inspection and after less than two minutes I had my Euro, even at a better exchange rate than I would have gotten the day before. Such efficiency and service! Moving on to the next teller, I presented the clerk with my parking ticket info. She greeted me with a smile and offered to take my cash, asking for an extra Euro as a processing fee for taking the payment (what are banks for, if not take your money?). I then asked if I could also go directly to some city or police office to pay the ticket only to be told that none of those departments take cash anymore. So with no other options at my disposal, I paid my 6.5% processing fee to the bank and was once again free of traffic violation debt.

Hofschule Altenburg – April 23, 2007

This morning we were invited to Andrew’s class to talk about school in America. Here is a picture of Andrew and his friend, Phillip Radler. It was great to meet his teacher and see where he has been spending the week. He is in the same classroom where Martin was in 4th grade, but some things have changed a bit. There is a new Kindergarten wing and a new playground since Martin’s days.
After our appearance at school we went to Frühstück (breakfast) at Frau Klein’s (Phillip's Oma). Gaby helped her mother put together a huge German morning feast. Christian and Carl couldn’t help themselves – they had to eat 4 Brötchen each. It is all just so good!
In the afternoon we had a visit from friends from Bemidji! Edwin Dehler-Seter and his daughter, Ingrid, are in Germany, staying with his mother in Fulda. Edwin’s mother came along too. We went to Mittagessen (dinner) and took a nice walk. We missed Laura and Tristan, who are back home in Bemidji, so we send them greetings! Hallo aus Deutschland!

Altenburg and Rommelsbach – April 22, 2007

We were in Martin’s little village this morning and attended church where he was confirmed. It was a beautiful day. The service was very nice with an easy to understand pastor and a nice message. We sang hymns from the Reformation and Baroque era, as well as one modern song. Then we strolled through the cemetery. German cemeteries are very interesting – each grave, a little garden.
We spent the afternoon grilling and playing Bocce ball with Rainer and Carola. The weather has been so perfect, warm and sunny with no humidity or bugs. We haven’t seen a drop of rain. Rainer and Carola have a lovely garden with enough space for the boys to toss around the football. Most Germans have beautiful tiny yards that they fill with flowers and bushes, with no space for sports. Bocce ball was fun with all of us participating. We have enjoyed being able to connect with so many old friends in this area, especially seeing them each more than once, as would be more typical on a shorter visit. This has allowed us to be together in a more ‘natural’ day to day setting, connecting more broadly and deeply with each ohter.

Burg Hohenzollern – April 21, 2007

We spent the afternoon touring this castle with the entire Breitfeld clan. It was a reunion of all of Martin’s foster brothers: Peter, Rainer and Jochen, and their families, along with Bernd Nedele, another foster child. Our crew of 16 people was almost enough to get a group tour rate. The castle is fascinating because the Hohenzollern family was a very big player throughout German history, at one point controlling vast areas including Prussia. Frederick the Great was a Hohenzollern, as was the last German Kaiser. This castle is where the dynasty originated. The castle itself dates back to 1061, but has been rebuilt numerous times after being sacked and burned, falling into ruins, etc. That is one thing that is very different here in Europe: the concept of history. The sheer age of many building is staggering. The simplest farm house can easily date back to the 1500’s. There are many preservation laws here for old buildings. That means that property owners must care for and renovate buildings using specified guidelines. Most of the medieval half-timbered buildings have been meticulously maintained. Every city has an Altstadt (old city) where the streets are too narrow for modern transportation and each building has seen more history than we can imagine.

Unser Häuschen – April 20, 2007

This is our Ferienwohnung (vacation apartment). We live in the upper level. I thought I’d post some pictures of it, since I don’t have as much to write about. We have been having fun visiting people and enjoying daily life (see the April 17th post). Here is a brief rundown of this week’s highpoints:
Wednesday we enjoyed a lovely dinner with Martin’s foster brother, Jochen Breitfeld, his wife, Karin and 18 year-old-son, Jascha. Their older son, Manuel, wasn’t home. He is off taking a little vacation in Berlin. We ate Raclette with all the fixings. Raclette is a Swiss dish that involves toasting cheese over potatoes, etc. Very delicious.
Last night was Rainer Güthner’s birthday, so we were at Rainer and Carola’s for afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen with Rainer’s family in attendance. This, of course, led to Abendessen (supper) as well. Martin spent a lot of time over at Güthner’s house when he was a teenager, so it was fun for him to see Rainer’s Mom, Dad and sister.